Command Policy
by Vee-Jay Hedgehog
Summary: The events behind the Federation begin to come undone as several key players begin to make their move...


Disclaimer: I don't own Enterprise, that credit goes solely to Brannon Braga and Co. of Paramount Pictures, who have been geniuses for 30+ years of Star Trek.  
  
Based loosely on a comic my rl bf is doing about the future generations of Enterprise NX-01's famous crew.  
  
The Continuation from "Realm Of Hope"  
  
"COMMAND POLICY"  
  
"What happened to Vee-Jay, Dad?" James asked his foster father. "Markus took her," Will replied. "I don't trust him anymore than Alynna but he does hold higher rank than I do." "Higher rank?" "Markus works for the secondary council," Will explained, leading his family into Starfleet Academy. "I'm not sure what he does exactly, but he's always on top of things, regardless of their significance." "So.how does he know Vee-Jay?" "Under his juresdiction apparently." "What?!" "Ever since Admiral Reed and his wife were murdered, everything surrounding your new friend's past has been shrouded by the Council. The name 'Reed' seems to be a topic of secrecy within the Admiralty. I've been told Richard's death had something to do with your Father's, James." "What?" William Riker nodded. "Whatever your Father was investigating at the time led to both their deaths. Alynna knows something more about it, but I can't tell whether or not she had involvement in it." "So.where did Markus take her, Dad?" "I'm not sure, but I think you'll see her around the Academy sometime." James said nothing more to his foster parents. His Father, Thomas and mother Justina, had been the only family he'd known for the first ten years of his life. Their deaths had left him empty until William and Deanna had adopted him. Deanna was just like his mother, only telepathic. There was little he could hide from her. As he approached the mess hall where all his friends would be hanging before the big assembly for all the new students, he saw Vee-Jay for a brief instant, in a uniform he had never seen before. "What the?!" he gasped. Before James could call out to her, a group of students walked past him led by an Admiral. When he next looked, Vee-Jay was gone. "James?" Will asked. "Nothing, Dad. Just my mind playing tricks." Or did I really see Vee-Jay just now? And what was that uniform she was wearing??  
  
"You were seen." "I didn't see him until the last second." "Be more careful or Markus will have your head!" Vee-Jay silently rolled her eyes as she headed past the MP guarding the entrance to the Academy's lower levels. She had deliberately delayed herself in sneaking past the mess hall doors in order for James to see her. Unlike the others in the Admiralty, she knew the truth behind all the lies and deceit. The doors slid open and Markus' head jerked up from the reports he was reading. "You're late," he stated flatly. "If you weren't an Admiral I'd have slugged you," she retorted. Markus raised a hint of a smile. "Rudolph tells me you were seen. Let me guess.Riker's adopted boy, right?" "Point being?" she replied. "He's the reason our movement started." "Careful, Commander. I could have you booked in for that eight hour report duty." "Be my guest," Vee-Jay chuckled. "You think it's easy portraying a weakling to that bitch of an Admiral?" "In your case, knowing your training, no." "Good. So what's the plan?" "The Admiralty have new targets. You know who I speak of." "And if we can't get to them in time?" "Then we risk everything being discovered too much too soon," Markus replied, tossing the report on his desk. "If the cataclysm happens too early, we won't stand a chance." "How do you know that?" Markus sighed. "It's a reserved guess." "Then you don't know for sure, do you?" Markus smiled broadly. "That's what I like about you, Vee-Jay. You never let up for a second. Always determined to make it through." "And while I'll never get command at this station, my Academy days may prove otherwise." "Optimistic as ever," Markus chuckled. "Report to your quarters in Cadet Uniform. Amanda will be contacting you shortly." "Yes, Sir." Markus thought for a moment as Vee-Jay departed. "Oh and Vee-Jay?" "Sir?" "Avoid James and the others for the moment. William and Deanna's protection should be high on your list." "Yes, Sir." Markus turned away as Vee-Jay left his office. Rudolph appeared shortly after Vee-Jay departed. "Do you think it was wise to recruit her after all this time?" he asked. "She's young and impetuous, impertinent and crazy about explosives," Markus smiled. "She'll do just fine as an operative." "In Richard's memory, eh?" "Yes. For Richard, Sidney and Aleecia."  
  
No sooner had Vee-Jay entered her quarters when her private laptop opened up and the symbol of her operative alliance appeared on the screen. Amanda's cheerful face appeared on the screen. "Heya Vee-Jay, listen up girl, this is big news if you're to keep an eye on Will and Deanna Riker!" Vee-Jay took a seat behind the desk. "Lay it on me, hon." "Okay, I've analysed the information about them both. You're not to let them near any shuttlecraft of any kind within the next two to three weeks until we can get them safely under our juresdiction and away from the Admiralty." "Two to three weeks? Have you forgotten the first year's field trip, Amanda? I won't even be here!" Amanda looked shocked. "Oh no." she gasped. "Waitaminute. I think I can make this work. I'll reassign Admiral Riker and his wife to be the Admirals on duty at the field trip to the mountain cabins. That should do it! No way would the Council try something with all those students there!" "You'd be surprised, Amanda." Amanda smiled briefly. "You know what your orders are, even if they are short and sweet." "Yeah, yeah. I know." "You sound tired of leading this double life." "How'd ya guess?" "I guess it isn't easy portraying a weakling to the Council and a determined leader to our cause." "Ha ha, very funny." "Hmm. Does this involve that handsome devil, James Douglas Archer?" Vee-Jay's face resembled some sign of embarrassment. "Shut up!" she snapped. "Oooh, a first crush!" Amanda teased. "Wait'll the girls hear about this!" "You tell them and your bra and underwear are going straight to the cryochamber!" Amanda giggled. "Oh come on, like you think we girls here haven't noticed? He's perfect for you!" "I said shut up, Amanda." "You can't make me shut up unless you." Vee-Jay ended the transmission immediately. "Do that?" she smiled at the blank screen. "Look after Will and Deanna Riker, huh? This is going to be fun."  
  
Something creaked in her room. Vee-Jay's sensitive hearing picked it up immediately. She whirled around, grabbed her phaser and fired at the ventilation shaft in the ceiling. Brad and his camera set-up fell out of the vent. "AUGH!" Brad cried as he hit the floor. He gulped as Vee-Jay yanked him off the floor. "How much did you hear?" she snarled. "Nothing!" cried Brad. Vee-Jay noticed the cameras were on. She aimed her phaser at both of them, destroying the tapes inside. "If you so much as blab one word of whatever you heard to anyone else, I'll personally kill you, understand?" she barked. Brad nodded feverently. She immediately opened the doors to her room and literally threw Brad into the opposite wall. James, Elson, Isaac, Simon and Jesse, heading in her room's direction, saw Brad hit the wall hard. "Aw man! Brad's at it again!" Isaac groaned. "That's gotta hurt," Elson cringed. "If I catch you in here again, you'll be nutless for LIFE!" they heard Vee- Jay yell. The door to her room slammed shut. James shook his head as Simon sighed. "Boy, when she threatens someone, she doesn't hesitate to make 'em get the point figuratively AND literally!" "Hell no," Isaac replied. "I'm surprised he's still alive!" Brad moaned as he came to. James walked past him and tapped the doorchime to Vee-Jay's room. "Who is it?" "James and company, minus Brad of course. Mind if we come in?" "Just a second!" Vee-Jay called back. "I ain't decent!" Vee-Jay quickly stashed her operative uniform and laptop under her bed, casually throwing on a shirt and jeans. She stashed the vent behind her desk.  
  
I'll get that repaired ASAP.  
  
"Come on in, guys," she called, tying back her long hair. "Hey," Isaac grinned. "Real ritzy in here!" "I take it the vent was where you caught Brad, huh?" James smiled. "Yeah. Men like that only think with their dicks." "Hey, I resemble that remark!" Jesse retorted. Vee-Jay allowed herself a laugh with the other guys. "So what brought you here?" she asked, being careful not to broach any painful subjects. "My Dad actually." "Eh?" "Well, he just found out he and my Mom are assigned for the field trip tomorrow," James went on. "My Dad kinda thinks you had something to do with it." "Me?" Vee-Jay feigned what she hoped was total surprise. "What the heck?" "Well, Dad didn't give any specifics really.but he said good things happen when you're around." Inwardly Vee-Jay hoped to hell this hadn't leaked out to the Admiralty just yet. "Please.the only thing that seems to happen to me is Brad and his kind." "What about us, huh?" Simon smirked. "Great.a pack of all males to serve as my loyal bodyguards. Sheesh! When'll chivalry ever end?" "Never," James smiled. "Yeah, right," Vee-Jay smiled back. Jesse, Simon, Isaac and Elson glanced at each other. Something was definitely there between their new gal pal and their budsman. "So whatcha studying?" Jesse asked. "Let's see.Astrometrics, Weaponry Maintenance, Leadership Skills, Engineering, Medical Science, Biology, Command Skills and Tactical." "That's the hell of a lot!" Elson gasped. "Eh," Vee-Jay shrugged. "It's a living to me." "What you specialising in?" Simon asked. "Command Skills." "Looks like you and James are gonna be competing for top dog of the Academy," Isaac grinned. "I'd like to think I stand a better chance too," James grinned. "Like hell you do, halfwit!" Vee-Jay smirked. "I intend to work you to the bone trying to keep up with me!" "It's a safe bet, Vee-Jay!" James replied, shaking hands with her. James felt his heart pound as he grasped her hand. Man, he thought, what I wouldn't give to be her one and only. Vee-Jay noted James' nervousness in the way he shook her hand.  
  
Shy around girls? That's a first!  
  
"See you on the field trip, James Riker," she smiled. "You too, Vee-Jay Reed." As the boys left, Vee-Jay breathed a deep sigh of relief, thankful that Brad had been in no state to tell them what he'd heard in her room. "I'm getting careless," she muttered. "Why'd I just make that challenge with him?!" She absently went to make Albert his food. "Come on, boy," she called. "Dinner time." Albert trotted up behind her, wagging his tail appreciatively. As she set the bowl down in front of him, she wondered about the field trip. "I hope to God I don't screw this up like I did with Marjorie and Louis."  
  
Admiral Alynna Nechayev and her consort looked over the reports concerning their newest students. "Riker's adopted boy's there," Admiral Dohanney pointed out. "As are Tucker's, Mayweather's, Barclay's and the other descending boys." "And Vee-Jay Reed." The other Admirals turned to face Alynna. She looked furious. "That girl has forever been a thorn to us." "But useful to us. She has been responsible for weeding out the weak in our Council." "She is still traitorous." "How do you know that of her? A weakling like her couldn't last one day on the field trip!" "I have reason to believe she is not the weakling we think she is," Alynna growled. "I have a feeling those years that we spent torturing her as our spy have all been in vain." "How so?" "She has since been disappearing alongside Markus of late." "Markus works undercover to ensure he covers us with enough veils to make sure our actions go unnoticed!" "Does he?" Alynna probed. The other admirals fell silent. There was little proof of that. "Torturing the girl reveals nothing, not even threatening to kill her!" Alynna went on. "She would gladly die and take her secrets with her rather than allow us the benefit of learning them." "So what do we do?" "Continue with the plan and deal with her later. Riker and his wife must not return to Starfleet Command!"  
  
  
  
"Riker and his wife must not return to Starfleet Command!"  
  
Vee-Jay removed her headphones and pressed rewind on her laptop. Things were heating up majorly now. "This is bad. I've never known Nechayev to be this ruthless before." She patted Albert who was curled up asleep next to her on her bed. "Good thing I bugged the briefing room when I did, else I'd have never discovered this plot to kill Will and his wife on the field trip." Vee-Jay thought carefully, leaning back against the pillows. If she could somehow prevent the Council from intervening with the field trip, she could at least make sure that Markus would get to William and Deanna first. But it was a risky idea, one she wasn't sure would work. "You're the leader of them, girl," she told herself. "It has to work. It just has to."  
  
All the while, another operative was taking steps to ensure Vee-Jay would not succeed in saving the lives of James' foster parents. One of the operatives who had succeeded where the Admiralty had failed.  
  
~*To Be Continued!*~  
  
Author's note: Things are moving along, a bit more is revealed concerning Vee-Jay and James, and more concerning the Admiralty Council. I kinda like to think there are two sides to every Command - the for and the against. There will be more concerning Alynna and her kin soon, and a new player makes his/her move against Vee-Jay in the next part of these events. But will it be for the benefit of the Admiralty or in the favour of Markus, Vee-Jay and their own? Who knows. 


End file.
